USDA Announces Settlement in Minority Farmer Lawsuit Story archive from 1999 Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced an historic agreement to settle the discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture brought by African American farmers. "More than two years ago, I said that this civil rights struggle was USDA's appointment with history. Today's agreement will close a painful chapter in the Department's history and allow us to open a more constructive front in our efforts to be the federal civil rights leader in the 21st century," Glickman said. "I want to especially thank President Clinton. Through his involvement, we passed a waiver to the statute of limitations allowing older cases to be heard, and today we have reached a fair and reasonable resolution." Glickman said, "By the guideposts I established for negotiations, this settlement is fair to farmers and fair to U.S. taxpayers. The settlement also retains flexibility in terms of how individual farmers' cases are resolved, so we can do our best to meet their needs." U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman today granted preliminary approval to the settlement and set a fairness hearing and the agreement is expected to be given final approval, allowing the processing of cases. The agreement spells out a process for settling the cases of African-American farmers who have sued the Department as part of a class action for discrimination complaints between 1981 and 1996. There are two tracks to the process. The first track allows those who meet the class definition and who can provide substantial evidence of discrimination to receive a monetary settlement of $50,000, as well as additional relief in the form of debt write-downs and some offset of tax liability. There is a second track for those who believe they have evidence of extreme wrongdoing. These cases must be well documented, and farmers must justify a larger pay-out. When a farmer meets this standard, this track allows for a tailored settlement that will be determined by a third party. Farmers are not required to take part in this settlement process. Instead, they can also choose to continue their individual cases in court or utilize the Department's administrative process. "I want to make clear that this is not the end of USDA's civil rights initiative. We still have more to do to ensure that all of our customers and our employees are treated with dignity and respect. But without question, today we mark a major milestone in our efforts -- not just for the farmers but for all the good, decent people here at USDA who have worked hard to help bring us to this day," Glickman said. Notices were sent out to all members of the class making them aware of their options under this settlement. Once the final settlement is signed, the cases will begin to be processed. "I want to thank everyone who worked tirelessly on this settlement agreement. I want to recognize the African American farmers across the country who stood up for their rights. We are a stronger department and a stronger country today for their commitment to justice," Glickman said.

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